The End of Innocence

1322 Words6 Pages
The End of Innocence In Alice Walker’s short story, “The Flowers” [ (Walker) ] published in 1973, she tells the tale of the moment a young girl at the height of innocence, is confronted with the remains of a beaten and hung man. The setting is in the deep South, and the main character, Myop, is a 10-year old daughter of two sharecroppers (much as Alice Walker was herself), enjoying a carefree, summer day where “nothing existed for her but her song, [and] the stick clutched in her dark brown hand….” (82) This statement sets the tone of Myop’s state of mind, establishing her childish wonderment. In her lighthearted wanderings, Myop discovers and investigates the remains of a man, unwittingly ending not only a summer day’s jaunt in the woods but, more importantly, the age of innocence. The story is narrated from the limited omniscient perspective detailing Myop’s movements of the day in the gorgeous and happy summertime when “the harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts and squash, made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaw.” (82) Immediately we are transported to the South during crop harvesting time that brings true excitement and delight to Myop in the form of smiles. Then we are taken on a journey of spontaneous exploration through the woods surrounding her family’s cabin through Myop’s eyes as she gathers “various common but pretty ferns and leaves, an armful of strange blue flowers with velvety ridges and a sweetsuds bush full of the brown, fragrant buds.” (82) Here we see that not only the title “The Flowers” (82), but also the use of flowers in the storyline symbolizes the very essence of innocence and the fragility of life. Walker’s opening sentence reads, “It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly … that the days had even been as beautiful as these,” (82) epitomizing the innocence of youth. The character of

More about The End of Innocence

Open Document